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X2 cnc finished for now maybe

Heres some pics of my Harbor Freight X2 that I finished cncing recently.
Had successful tests running Mach 2 and some engraving software.
Now on to some improvements to the table travel, gonna see what I can get
out of it because 3.5 x 7 isn't enough.(Wish I would have splurged for the X3
instead, but oh well.)
Plan on making a remote pendant from a usb thrustmaster joystick.
Just bought a Dewalt laminant trimmer. Have one more bracket to make to
mount it on the head for better engraving.
Does anyone know if the X2 spindle can be turned on/off from Mach 2 using
M3/M5 thru the controller?
more stuff to come, Have autocad drawings for all the mounting brackets
that I made to mount the steppers and such if anyone wants them.
The DRO is one I made from a ShumaTech kit. http://www.shumatech.com/products/dro-350/index.htm
later Hoss

Nice work!, and to answer your question about the spindle, yes you can tun it off/on, you will need a bob to do it. I used a multifunction from cnc4pc, it is the only one I have expeience with but I love it!! no more standing waiting for the part to finish and then turning off the router, now I just load the gcode hit cycle start and walk away and do something else.

Here's an update. Got another 3/4 inches of travel on the Y with a modification
to the base. This gives me 4 7/8 x 8 1/4 travel for the X2.
Better. I'll live with it for now till I run across an old cross slide to adapt to it.
Maybe Little Machine Shop will get the X3 base for sale.Keep my eyes open.
Have Fun, Hoss

Hey Guys,
Thought I would upload the dxf drawings I made for the stepper motor
brackets and such. Hope they help you out.They are in inches.
I used ballscrews and nuts from http://www.homeshopcnc.com/page3.html
I got my thrust bearings and metal timing pulleys and belt fromhttps://sdp-si.com/eStore/
I made the drawings with Autocad but turbocad can open them too.
Enjoy, Daniel (Hoss) Kemp

Hoss, this looks like an excellent conversion! Please provide us with more information on the electronics such as the steppers, controller board etc. Thanks for the excellent information you have already provided.

Hey nancygal,
Here's some more info for you.
I used a FET-3/Dynamo kit($329) from stepperworld.comhttp://www.stepperworld.com/FET3dynamo.htm
It has a 3 axis controller with 190 in/oz stepper motors and accessories.
I read on a post somewhere when I was researching it that these motors had enough torque to snap a 3/8 endmill so I figured that would do me just fine.
If I was starting now, I would upgrade to their 4 axis controller for $50 more.
Might come in handy for a rotary table or something but oh well.I'll post a couple pics of how I hooked them up. I used an old pc case to house it all. I hooked up the controller to the mill using pc DB9 serial cables(had to solder plugs to the motors and controller)so it's removable.I used S-Video cables to hook up the DRO to the scales. Get them at http://www.cablewholesale.com/
You only need 6 wires to hook the motors up(instructions are included) so you
could use MiniDin6 (PS/2) cables to hook them up for a tidier wire bundle on the mill.Again If I was doing it now,that would be easier to encase with a cable shroud to protect them. You can get the solderable DB9 connectors and cables at http://www.computercablestore.com/Se...CategoryID=212
I got the scales for the DRO on Ebay from 800watt's store http://cgi.ebay.com/0-12-Y-AXIS-VERT...QQcmdZViewItem
He has great prices but is pretty slow on shipping and bad at emailing you back. Might want to search Ebay for a different seller for the DIGIMATIC DIGITAL SCALE UNITS.
well, hope this helps.
Have Fun, Hoss
P.S. This all takes a little bit of work but that's the FUN part, and It only cost me about 1/3 the cost of a turnkey cnc X2 I've seen for sale.

Hoss;
Great job! I'm interested in your zaxis conversion and the rotating ball nut. I've been searching for such a design for my lathemaster. Tired of wearing out balls trying to move that 250 +lbs of mass.
Unfortunately, I tried opening your dxf files with bobcad 21 but will little success. Can you email me at bsouthnow @ aol.com, copies of your zaxis drawings. I would really appreciate it!!!
Very Best
Bill

Hoss;
Never mind the email for the files. I found an old copy of Turbocad pro (pre bobcad) and re-installed it for the drawings. Thanks! Would it be possible to share some detail on how you constructed the z-axis with bearing numbers and so forth?
Thanks again.
Bill

Hey Bill,
The bearings for the Z axis are in the post#6 above that I got at mscdirect.com.
The location for the 2 big bearings can be seen in the cnc z axis mount.dfx above.You might need to use a shim (the same diameters as the lower thrust bearing)between the lower spacer and the thin thrust bearings to take up any backlash.The timing pulley is drilled and tapped to mount to the T shaped upper spacer that then slides down into the large thrust bearing.I'll work on a better expanded drawing for the parts used in cnc z axis mount.dxf.heres some pics of closeups of the Z axis from different angles.Hope it helps.
Later Hoss
P.S. here are jpgs of the drawings for anyone out there having trouble opening the dxfs.

Thanks Hoss. I missed that dwg yesterday when I was playing around with Turbocad. It makes the whole setup a bit clearer. I'm still going to have to "study" on it awhile (like that say here in SC) and let everything soak in. Thanks for all the info!
Bill